Westlake girls tennis beats Palos Verdes to reach Open Division championship

WESTLAKE — The dominance of Westlake’s girls tennis program this season has shown why it remains a powerhouse. When it matters most, it knows how to win.

The Warriors beat Palos Verdes in a tight 10-8 semifinals matchup Wednesday to advance to the CIF Southern Section Open Division finals.

The Warriors (21-2-2) are seeking their second CIF-SS championship in three years.

No. 2 seed Westlake will face No. 1 seed Mater Dei in the final Friday at 10 a.m. at Pomona Pitzer College.

“To do this with this group is really special,” said Warriors head coach Scott Yasgoor. “Two years ago we were super talented. This year we are deep and it has served us well. Now we come in as the underdogs, which is a much better position to be in. The pressure shifts to them to beat us and we’re going to let it all hang out.”

For the Sea Kings (20-3-1), their No. 1 doubles squad, led by Stella Simpson Morgan and Tia Messerli, dominated all three of their matches (6-4, 6-1, 6-2), but it wasn’t enough. The Warriors rolled on to the next round thanks to a key point from its doubles team of Michelle Qi and Sophia Tyoran (3-6, 6-4, 3-6).

“I always knew that we can rely on our singles,” said Yasgoor. “They’re all seniors and they’re all going to play at the next level. So the fact that we got our doubles to rise up and the one key was the win we needed today was special.”

The one win by the Warriors’ No. 2 doubles became the win that mattered the most.

“When we play doubles, it’s important to get every game you can,” said Tyoran. “The singles always pull through so we had to come through with a win.”

The singles showed time and time again why they have been the heartbeat for this Westlake team. All singles matches were secured to sweep the scoreboard.

Led by its No. 2 singles player, senior Ariana Liu (6-0, 6-0, 6-0), the Warriors deflated any chance of a victory for Peninsula. Westlake’s No. 1 singles players, senior Allison Lian (6-2, 6-1, 6-4), and No. 3 singles, senior Megan Sun (6-0, 6-1, 6-1), were also dominant.

“We got really lucky,” said Liu. “At the end of the day, it’s about not thinking about it. It’s about making every point count.”

The Sea Kings adjusted accordingly and stacked their doubles teams, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the Warriors. When the Sea Kings looked like might score a win over Lian, she came back and won her final set to send the Warriors to the finals.

“Playing Open Division, it’s really amazing to win the (semifinals),” said Lian.

After winning her first match without dropping a set, Sun remained dominant and dropped just two sets in her final two games.

“We try to get any possible advantage we can get. We have a lot of fun,” said Sun.